What We Can Do

Greetings friends,

In the virtual coffee hour yesterday following worship the conversation was about what we could do to support the Black Lives Matter movement and to work for racial justice. I also received a number of texts and emails yesterday asking the same thing. So I'd like to offer a couple of places to start.

First, I'd like to remind you of the sermon I preached on Pentecost. Often out of our great need and desire to do something, we rush past asking, "What does this mean?" Action is important, but reflection must come first if we want our action to be helpful and appropriate. 

The most important thing we can do right now is listen. We need to hear what our brothers and sisters of color are actually saying. We can't do that if we are talking. It may make us uncomfortable. We may feel a bit defensive. We may want to say, "That doesn't apply to me." We need to set those feelings aside so that we can really listen to what is being said. 

Here is an excellent article from a couple of years ago with some really great suggestions for how white people can work for racial justice. This is a great place to start thinking about what we can do to make a difference.

Here is a more recent article from the last few weeks that also offers helpful suggestions. It references the previous article and it also offers a great reading list to help white people gain a better understanding of the issue racial injustice. I think it would be great if a group of people wanted to read one (or some or all) of these books together in a discussion group.

Two other books that are not on the list that I have found to be helpful are:

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Dr. Beverly Tatum If you would like to hear her discuss the book you can do so here.

Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving. The UKirk students are reading this book this summer. So if you read it, too, you can discuss it with them when they return in the fall.

If you like to listen to podcasts, I have been listening to a podcast called Code Switch for the last couple of years. It has really opened my eyes to a number of things I had never considered before and it has made me way more sensitive to how I speak and the things I say to my friends of color. You can get it wherever you get your favorite podcasts, or listen on your computer at the link I gave you above. I highly recommend listening to the first one, Can We Talk About Whiteness? After that, just pick whichever ones appeal to you. Even better, pick the title that make you uncomfortable and listen to those!

I also recommend reading Ibram X. Kendi's article from The Atlantic, "A House Still Divided." It will help you understand the important difference between being "not racist" and "anti-racist".

If you are a parent of young children, here is a great resource for talking to your children about race. 

(Just as a personal aside, when Tuesday and I were going through adoption classes 16 years ago, an African-American professor from Vanderbilt came to speak with us about issues of race and trans-racial adoption. One of our classmates said, "I don't think we should talk with children about race. They should only see people, not color." The professor responded, "Only a white person would be able to say such a thing." She went on to say that children of color don't have the luxury of ignoring the issue of race. They get called names on the playground and in society from a very young age. So black parents raise their children to be very aware of the issue. I'll never forget what she said, "The first time your child hears the N-word, it better be from you." That was an eye-opening moment for me. And as the parent of a child of color, it saddens me to tell you that what the professor said is absolutely true.)

Okay, so that's a lot of reading - but it's a good start. Of course, nothing is better than having relationships with people of different races and backgrounds. If you have these kinds of relationships, invite someone you know to lunch and ask them how they are feeling about the recent events. Don't talk. Listen. Just listen. Ask them if there is anything they would like you to know. Ask them what, if anything, you can do. Ask them if you have ever said anything that they found to be offensive and why. The most important thing is to listen. Even if what you hear makes you defensive, don't be. Seek understanding. Seek to put yourself in another person's shoes.

And if you don't have these kinds of relationships, ask yourself why. Then begin to look for ways to develop those relationships. Not as a person of privilege offering help or charity, but as a human being seeking to connect with another human being.

Finally, we must remember that we at Second Presbyterian Church, and those we call friends, have privilege and connections and power and access to power in this community that a lot of other people don't. We have used that power to raise millions of dollars for the symphony, the VMC, the Helen Ross-McNabb Center, the Junior League, for scholarships, the opera, the Emerald Youth Foundation, and any number of other worthy causes. What if we used those same connections, that same power, to advocate for policies that promote racial equality and end racial injustice? What if we no longer saw black and brown people as people needing our help, but as our brothers and sisters for whom we are called to fight? What would we do if a member of our family was being treated unjustly? Would we stand by and say that's a shame? Or would we move heaven and earth to see they are treated the way we know they deserve to be treated, not stopping, not resting until we know they are taken care of?

One of my favorite quotes ever is from a comic book. Peter Parker's Uncle Ben, who doesn't know his nephew is Spider-Man, says to Peter, "With great power comes great responsibility." It's a good reminder for us.

How will we use our power? Responsibly or irresponsibly? To get ours without worrying about everyone else? Or, as Scripture says over and over, to seek the welfare of others?

We have a great responsibility. It's no longer enough to say that we don't agree with how things are. The times are demanding that we listen and act. As Sarah Morgan said in her sermon last week, "Don't just talk about it, be about it!"

Grace and peace...

PT